In the Mountains
by A. Heimby
Summary: It wasn't until Dirk was being carried off in a van, that he had been rather rudely shoved in, that he came to a rather significant realization about his best friend, Todd.
1. Chapter 1

It had started in the terrifyingly named "death maze", at least Dirk was pretty sure that's when it started, but really he supposed it could have started before that. If he was being honest with himself actually, it probably started back when they visited Amanda at her house. He had been intrigued by the way Todd took care of his sister, not to mention impressed with both the siblings musical abilities. He could still imagine himself standing next to them as he played bass.

But no, he hadn't realised what it was then, at least not beyond a want for friendship and an assistant. He hadn't started to feel that something was odd until after they found the maps, after Todd had come in with Amanda. He saw the way Todd looked at Farah and so did Amanda judging by the look she sent him. That had been an unexpected pain in his chest. He started to get a clue into his own feelings when Todd ran up to Farah and him gibbering about a jacket, but he was too happy Todd had come to really listen to what he was saying.

The death maze though, after Todd had fallen in as well and they had solved the lightbulb puzzle and Todd had impressed him with his keep moving forward mentality, that was when he put his finger on it; or more so five fingers, as he had grabbed Todd's outstretched hand right before feeling the second wave of electricity shoot through him. In his own mind he liked to joke that it was then that he felt the spark between them.

Right this second though, as the van he had been shoved into drove away from the diner where Todd was, and Farah, that was the moment he would always remember as the point where it had all become glaringly obvious to him, the moment he truly acknowledged what he felt.

With those three words swimming in his head he suddenly knew what he had to do and what he couldn't let happen. So that was how he found himself pouncing over one of his captors laps as he used his cuffed hands to try the handle on the side door of the van, which opened freely. He just thanked the universe they had cuffed his hands in front of him because the next moment he was throwing himself from the moving vehicle in a tuck and roll, thankful to have his hands to break his fall. He was surprised to land on a somewhat padded surface as he hit an old and dirty mattress someone had left on the curb.

Not even waiting until he had his breath back he was bouncing to his feet again and making a mad dash for the wooded ravine on the other side of the road. He may have only been in Seattle for a few months but he was pretty sure the diner wasn't far from the other side. Once inside he made sure to stay off the paths as much as possible, only chancing them to cross the bridge, until he could see the exit. Only stopping for a moment to catch his breath on the edge of the small forested area, he was soon dashing back out into the open. As he sprinted across a busy street, ignoring angry blares of people's horns, he didn't dare look back. He recognized where he came out and now only had one goal in mind; get back to Todd.

He spared a short thought on the fact no one had tried to stop a cuffed man running like mad through the streets but soon enough he was rounding the corner to the diner and running into Farah, literally. He ran smack dab, whole bodily into her knocking them both to the ground in a heap.

Farah sounded angry as she started to say, "What the hell…", but cut herself off as she looked at the person currently sprawled on top of her. In a tone that conveyed too many emotions to decipher she croaked out a confused, "Dirk?" She took a moment to look him over as she sat up quickly and pulled back before asking, "What the hell happened to you? It's only been like ten minutes since I noticed you were even gone." Seemingly as an afterthought she also asked in confusion, "Why are you handcuffed?"

Jumping to his feet he started to speak a mile a minute. "It was quite horrid, Farah. That attack dog for the agency grabbed me and rather rudely shoved me into a van, and I don't know about you, but I make it a point not to get into vans with strange men I don't know, but I didn't really have a choice, now did I? The big buffoon had a gun and before I knew it these ridiculously uncomfortable pieces of metal were around my wrists and I suddenly realised how I felt about Todd as we were speeding away, but I got an impulse to throw myself from the van and so when the door actually opened I did. Thank god for that frankly disgusting mattress that broke my fall. When I saw the ravine though, I knew I could get back here to Todd, and you, so I started to run and didn't really stop, well until I ran rather hard into you, and my god is it hard to run in handcuffs. I don't know how people manage it." He frowned down at his aching wrists and the offending circles of metal.

When Dirk was forced to stop to breathe Farah took the opportunity to jump in asking, "Wait, who grabbed you?" She was pulling a key from her wallet as she further asked, "Did you jump out of a _moving vehicle_?" As she used the key to remove the cuffs from his wrists she also pointed out, "People don't typically go running around in cuffs, Dirk, which is kind of the point of them." It was only as she was slipping the cuffs into her own pocket that her mind finally stuck on one of the things he had said. Eyebrows shooting up she asked in a slightly high pitched voice, "Wait, what did you say about Todd?" it was too late though, Dirk was already dashing through the front door of the diner.

To the other patrons of the diner Dirk looked like a mad man as he dashed to the table they had been at, rubbing at his very sore wrists. When there was no sign of the shorter man Dirk found an unsettling sense of dread settling over him. He could feel something was wrong, something beyond his own kidnapping that is. Wheeling around on the spot, barley registering Farah coming to stand next to him, he tried to find Todd. That was when he noticed a small group of people gathered by the restrooms. That uneasy feeling amplifying, Dirk made his way quickly toward the group, pushing through without a second thought for the people he was shoving out of his way.

He heard it first, a strangled, breathless scream of fear and pain. There was still a millisecond of time for him to hope and wish and pray that it wasn't Todd, but far too soon he was confronted with the sight of him curled into himself on the floor, writhing in pain. After a quick once over that revealed no injuries he knew exactly what was happening and felt his heart clench painfully at the realisation. Todd had the disease after all. Dirk had seen that something had been off since they had saved Lydia, since Todd had taken that electric shock in order to save his life. He hoped dearly the two weren't related.

Dropping to his knees beside Todd and pushing the well-meaning, but in the way, strangers aside he tried to get Todd's attention, grabbing his shoulder. "Todd, its Dirk, listen to me, it's just an attack. Whatever your mind is telling you is happening right now, it's not. You're fine, you're okay, nothing is wrong." When there was no sign that Todd could even hear him Dirk felt the panic start to take over and grabbed one of Todd's hands, using the other to cup his face to turn it toward him. Stroking this thumb over his best friends cheek Dirk all but pleaded, "Please, Todd, just listen to me, trust me, you are fine. Your mind is just playing a trick on you, you're okay." Though it felt like Todd might have been pushing his face further into Dirk's hand there still wasn't really any sign that his words were getting through, if they even could, if it could even do a damn thing to help. Desperate, he gathered Todd's form into his arms and wrapped them tightly around him. As Todd buried his face into Dirks neck and let out a pained whimper he could feel the body in is arms relax slightly. Not enough to ease his mind, or heart, in the slightest but it was something.

While this was happening Farah had somehow dispersed the small crowed so it was at that moment Dirk heard a very tiny voice yelling indistinctly. That was when he saw the phone beside him, apparently still on a call. With Todd starting to relax little by little Dirk unwrapped one arm from around Todd to pick up the phone and put it to his ear, which was a very bad idea because at that moment Amanda yelled, very loudly, "What the hell is going on! Todd! What's happening! Why were you screaming! Todd! Answer me!"

Frowning down at Todd, Dirk said somewhat awkwardly, "Um, Todd can't come to the phone right now, Amanda. He's rather indisposed at the moment."

He had to yank the phone away from his ear when she managed to yell even louder, "Dirk! What the fu…" When he felt it was safe again he brought the phone back to his ear. Amanda sounded frantic as she demanded, "What is going on, Dirk? First the guys and I get ambushed by people who look military and then I have to listen as my brother sounds like he's being tortured, with no idea what the hell is going on. Tell me _right now_ , Dirk, what in the hell is happening?"

Dirk had to take a moment to gather his own thoughts before he could talk. He started with what would be easier to say out loud, unconsciously pulling Todd closer to him as he told her, "Well, I imagine, based off of what just happened to me, that those men were in fact military. It would seem that I, and other people like me, are being forcefully taken in from the sounds of it. That is why I would recommend getting as far away as possible from The Rowdy 3. As long as you're not with them you should be in no danger; theoretically." He started to rub his free hand up and down Todd's back in an effort to sooth both of them as he waited for what he knew would happen next.

Indignant, Amanda demanded, "I want to know about Todd, Dirk! I don't give a shit about what the military wants, and I'm not leaving Vogel, so just tell me what in the hell just happened to my brother?!"

He could hear it in her voice, that underlying understanding fear. She knew exactly what was going on, she just couldn't admit it to herself. Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh as his head thumped back against the wall all he told her was, "Amanda, we both know that you know exactly what just happened to your brother."

There was a long silence as he could hear Amanda's breathing become shallow, before finally she said in a childlike voice, soft and scared and sad, "But he lied. He's not supposed to have it. He's supposed to be fine." He could hear the tears in her voice as she all but whispered, "Dirk, this wasn't supposed to happen."

Fighting against the lump in his own throat Dirk quietly told her, "I know, Amanda, I know." Swallowing thickly he tried to lighten the mood as he said, "I thought maybe you'd think it was karmic. You know, he lied about having it and seemingly the second he comes clean he gets it. That's iro…"

He was cut off as Amanda cursed him through her teeth before saying, "I wouldn't wish this horrible disease on my worst enemy, Dirk. I sure as hell never wanted my brother to get it, even if he did lie to everybody about it. I wanted to punch him in the face or kick him in the crotch, but never this; never, ever this."

Dirk started to apologise for implying she'd actually want this but was cut off by Farah who was rushing toward him telling him they had to go. He blurted out a hastily good bye before pulling Todd to his feet. Thankfully Todd was now present enough to be partially dragged by Dirk as they ran for the back exit. As they were coming out into the alley Farah was giving a sit rep. SUV's were pulling up in the front so they quickly made their way through the alley. Once they had reached a street a couple blocks down Farah surprised Dirk by hotwiring a car after breaking into it. Soon enough they were speeding away with Farah behind the wheel, Dirk and Todd in the back. The shorter man seemed mostly back to normal, if much quieter and more pale, as he leaned slightly into Dirk so their shoulders were touching. Dirk said nothing, instead simply enjoying the warmth he could feel coming from the other man as he looked out the window.


	2. Chapter 2

Dirk was only pulled from his reverie when he noticed Todd frantically patting at his body. For a horrifying second he thought the shorter man might be having another attack but was relieved when Todd spoke for the first time since this whole thing stated, asking, "Where's my phone? I need my phone. Amanda's in trouble, I need to call Amanda." He was starting to breathe faster as he sent him a panicked look.

Reacting quickly, Dirk pulled Todd's phone from his jacket pocket as he handed it to him and told him, "She's all right. She got away with one of the Rowdy 3 before they could be taken." As Todd pressed speed dial one and held the phone to his ear Dirk somewhat sheepishly added, "I don't know what you remember from during your attack but you had been talking to Amanda, and well, she had heard your screaming, so when I got there, and finally noticed your phone, well.." He somehow knew Todd wouldn't like hearing this so he braced himself before saying, "She knows about the attack. She knows you have the disease."

He wasn't wrong. If looks could kill the one Todd just sent him would have him dead twice over. He was a little surprised though that is was gone as fast as it appeared. Todd seemed to take in a deep breath before calmly telling him, "I would have probably chosen to keep it from her, after everything, but she has a right to know. She has a right to not be lied to anymore." As he waited for the other side of the phone to be picked up he let his head fall back against the headrest before adding, "Thanks for telling her, Dirk. I don't know if I would have been able to do it myself." He sent Dirk a small sad smile in thanks before the phone connected.

After a short and somewhat tense sounding conversation, at least judging by Todd's side of it, they were soon headed in the direction of Amanda and the one called Vogel. It took longer than any of them liked, but eventually they were pulling up under an underpass and Amanda and Vogel where jumping out from behind a pile of junk. Vogel jumped in the front as Amanda forced Todd over into the middle seat as she took her place beside her brother. Before any words were spoken though Amanda punched her brother very hard in the shoulder, making him let out a startled, "Ow!"

Amanda only punched him again, her face an angry mask, as she told him, "You deserve more than that, Todd, and you know it." When all he could do was look down in shame, as he rubbed his now sore shoulder, all the anger disappeared from Amanda's face, replaced by sympathy, fear and sadness. She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug as she buried her face in his neck and all but whispered, "You scared the shit out of me, Todd. Never do that again."

Returning the hug in full force he apologized, "I'm so sorry, Amanda, for everything. I never even came close to imagining how horrible that was to go through." He sounded choked as he kissed the top of her headed and apologized again, "I'm so sorry."

Hugging her brother even tighter, so tight it hurt a little, she told him, "The first attack is the worst. It shouldn't be as bad the next time."

At the mention of a next time Todd closed his eyes before squeaking out, "I hope you're right." Thinking about what his sister has been going through for years he truly hoped she was. He didn't want to think about all of Amanda's attacks being like that one. Just the possibility made him want to burst into tears.

Sensing a need for some tension relief, Dirk decided to blurt out, "Amanda, guess what I did today?" When she looked at him blankly and blinked he tried to put on a smile, though it probably came across as pained, before telling her, "I jumped from a van that was moving. I tucked and rolled and everything, while handcuffed. It was kind of fun, if not completely terrifying." When both Amanda and Todd looked at him in slightly surprised horror he added, "I landed on a filthy old mattress so, that was lucky I think." He gave them another small smile as they continued to just stare at him.

To everyone's surprise it was Vogel who broke the silence as he rather calmly said, "I know a place we can go to lay low while we figure everything out." Apparently, away from the other three rowdy men he was rather calm and normal seeming, at least in comparison. It was Farah who agreed with the idea as she started taking direction from the young man, Amanda patting him on the shoulder from the seat behind him. He sent her a shy smile in return before laying out the path they were taking to Farah.

A few hours later found them pulling up outside a secluded cabin in the mountains. As they piled out of the car Dirk tried to lighten the mood again as he pointed north and rather gleefully said, "Hey, you can see Canada from here!" He looked at each person before landing on Todd and smiling like he had just made the best joke ever. Despite his best effort Todd couldn't hold back his snort of laughter as a smile pulled at his face, making everyone else chuckle; if not at the joke, then at Todd.

As they all went inside the small cabin in was Farah that suggested, "You know, that's not a bad idea, if we escape into Canada those military people will have a harder time getting to the two of you." She sent them a meaningful look before starting to search the cabin.

Vogel looked offended as he asked, "You expect me to just abandon my friends, my family?" His rowdy side was starting to show through as he almost yelled, "I won't leave them behind. They stayed back so Amanda and me could escape." He did yell as he added, "Family doesn't abandon family!" Seeming without thought he shoved a lamp from a small table before huffing out a breath but before he could do more Amanda was at his side with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

She waited until he was looking at her before saying, "Chill, Vogel. That's not what she meant. Of course we are going to try and help the others. We just need to know our options first, and have an escape plan in place." She looked at Farah with a small smile before saying, "Right, Farah?"

Farah only looked back for a moment, nodding, before resuming her search. She had already found some kitchen knives, a butterfly knife and a hunting rifle. She was making a pile on the coffee table in the small living room.

Looking around the cabin Todd decided he had to be the one to deal with the small issues; like supplies and sleeping arrangements. Stepping away from his spot beside Dirk he started to see that they were working with. There was a tiny bathroom, two bedrooms, and then the open living room/kitchen. Looking into the fridge, seeing nothing but some basic condiments, he announced, "Someone needs to go into the nearest town and get some food and stuff." Noticing the wood stove in the corner he added, "We also need to get some wood. It gets pretty cold at night here."

After it was decided that Farah, Amanda and Vogel, who knew the area, would go into town, and Todd and Dirk would collect and chop the wood, it left only one more thing that needed their attention, sleeping arrangements. Before Todd could even finish bringing it up, he was interrupted by Amanda blurting, "I call sharing with Farah!" The two women shared a conspiratorial look as they nodded.

Vogel was the next to speak as he flung himself on the couch and announced, "I always sleep here. The couch is mine."

Nodding, Todd seemed unconcerned as he simply agreed, "Okay, which leaves Dirk and me in the other room." Clapping his hands together in finality he said, "Let's get to our tasks then." He picked up an ax Farah had found only god knew where from the coffee table before making his way to the door, completely oblivious to the speechless Dirk he left in his wake.

It wasn't until Amanda walked by, slapping him on the back with an amused but sympathetic look, that he was able to talk. Clearing his thought awkwardly he said, "Yes, well then, with all that figured out I guess it's time to get some wood," at the look Amanda gave him at his choice of words he found himself blushing as he amended, "Gather! Gather some wood…for, you know, the fire." He gestured lamely at the wood stove. He cleared his throat again before following Todd to where he was standing at the door waiting for him, a slightly confused and concerned look on the shorter man's face. Dirk chose to ignore it as he walked past him out the door.

Luckily, Todd found a pile of wood out back. All they needed to do was chop it and bring it inside. Dirk insisted on trying first but after the third time he nearly put the ax into his own leg Todd had reached out, grabbing his arm and hand, and made Dirk let go of the sharp instrument. With amusement in his voice Todd told him, "We have enough going on right now, we don't need you accidentally chopping off your own limbs."

Frankly, Dirk was surprised by how quick and efficient Todd was chopping the wood. Within an hour they had a good pile going in the cabin where Dirk was bringing what was chopped. He would have preferred to stay outside and just watch Todd as he worked, but he hated feeling useless so after allowing only a few minutes of watching, he had started bringing in small armfuls at a time.

It was as he was finishing making a neat and tidy stack of wood that he heard a pained yell of shock from outside followed by an ominous silence; the sound of wood being chopped and Todd exerting himself nowhere to be heard. Jumping to his feet he rushed outside as fast as he could. As he rounded the back of the house he was confronted by the horrid sight of Todd on the ground twitching and flailing, the ax still in his hand. Todd was looking at the ax in abject fear as another wave of pain seemed to go through him. It looked like he was being shocked.

Acting without having to think Dirk flung himself to the ground by Todd, catching the arm with the ax before it could hit him. He twisted the ax from the brunet man's hand rather violently before throwing it across the yard, far away from them. The second the ax was gone Todd seemed to relax, the twitching becoming less pronounced and frequent. Gathering the smaller man in his arms Dirk started letting out quiet comforting nothings as he slowly rocked them both back and forth. Far too slowly for his liking Todd began to breath normally again. The more he seemed to gather himself the tighter he clung to Dirk.

Of course that was the moment the others arrived back. The first thing Amanda saw as she came around the house was her brother clutching to Dirk for dear life. Not eve having to ask herself what happened, she rushed forward wrapping her arms around her brother, making it into a slightly awkward group hug. When Farah rounded the corner she stopped in her tracks, giving them space. She was content to just watch and keep an eye out for other threats.

When Vogel came up behind her he only stopped for a moment before slowly approaching the huddled group on the ground. Putting both hands close to their heads he closed his eyes and Farah watched in amazement as a blue pulse of light started to emanate from all three. They seemed to all tense briefly before Vogel stepped back with a somber look on his face, and then in unison they all let out a wobbly sigh as they seemed to relax. Farah had seen what the Rowdy 3 could do but it was something she'd never get used to seeing.

Slowly, Dirk and Amanda got to their feet, dragging Todd up with them. Farah didn't miss the grateful look the two siblings sent Vogel, or the stilted nod from Dirk. Letting Amanda pull her brothers arm over her shoulder Dirk bent down to collect more of the chopped wood. Vogel and Farah grabbed the rest as they followed the siblings inside.

Todd was deposited on the couch as the supplies Farah had bought were brought in from the car. Not only had they brought back food supplies but also toiletries and clothes. When everything had been put away Todd finally felt better enough to be useful. So, when Dirk started to putter about the kitchen like he was thinking about cooking Todd quickly announced he'd be making dinner. When Farah, Vogel and Dirk gave him a skeptical look Amanda was quick to defend her brother, saying, "He's actually a really good cook, guys." When they only shifted the look to her she insisted, "No, really guys. He's the best cook I know." They didn't seem totally convinced but they conceded.

An hour or so later they were completely convinced though as they scarfed down the best chicken carbonara they had ever tasted. No one was surprised when there weren't any leftovers. When Dirk volunteered to do the dishes, Farah and Vogel offered to help too, which left Amanda and Todd to sit on the couch and relax.

After a few moments of silence Amanda grabbed Todd's hand to get his attention. Grabbing a small container from her pocket she deposited it in his hand, not saying a word, she didn't need to, Todd knew exactly what it was. Looking down at the pill container he tried to push it back into her hand as he told her, "I can't take that, Amanda. These are yours, you need them."

She wouldn't take them though as she looked him in the eye and said, "You need them more than I do, Todd. I've been dealing with this thing for years, you haven't even had it a day and you've already had two attacks. With Vogel around, I'll be fine." She wrapped his fingers around the container with her hand before adding, "I know there aren't many but as long as they last they'll help." She looked at him with teary eyes as she quietly pleaded with him, "Please, Todd, for me, just take them." She let out a wet laugh as she joked, "You paid for them anyway, right?"

Feeling the telltale prickle at the back his own eyes all Todd could do was pull his sister into a tight hug as he buried his face in her hair willing the tears in his eyes not to break free. Barely audible, he let out a small, "Thank you."

When they finally pulled back Amanda looked pained as she reminded him, "You know I love you, right. Nothing will ever change that."

Todd felt a smile tug at his face as he assured her, "I know." They both let out a laugh as he told her, "Ditto, little sister." They were both smiling as he grabbed both her hands in his and said in a serious tone, "I love, Amanda. There is nothing in this world more important to me then you. Never forget that." In response Amanda enveloped him in another tight hug, only pulling back as Dirk cleared his throat behind them.

Turning to look over their shoulders the tall gangly man informed them, "I think everybody is ready to get some sleep. It's been an awfully long day, well, week really, so I think we could all use a little shuteye." He smiled his goofy awkward smile before nodding once as he rocked on his feet. "Right, so I'm just going to get ready for bed." Not making eye contact he informed Todd, "I believe Amanda and Farah have called the room with two beds so we have the master bedroom." He coughed awkwardly before turning on his heels and striding away.

Raising one eyebrow, Todd turned to Amanda asking, "Was it just me or did he seem a little odd there." He seemed to think better of it as he amended, "Well, that's to say, odder then he normally is."

Amanda raised an eyebrow of her own as she scoffed saying, "You're a little denser than I thought my dear big brother." She patted him on the shoulder as she stood up and took in his confused look before walking away and throwing over her own shoulder, "Night, Bro."

Todd sat there for a moment in confusion until Vogel plopped down on the couch next to him with a look that clearly said he wanted to go to sleep, so Todd stood up and made his way toward the bathroom which was luckily free. He made quick work of a simplified version of his nightly routine before heading into the master bedroom where Dirk was already lying on his back under the covers staring at the ceiling. Todd changed into the sweats and t-shirt Farah had got him before slipping into the bed himself, also staring up at the ceiling in the dark.

After a long silence Todd finally broke it, quietly saying, "Dirk, I just wanted to thank you, you know, for what you did today."

He heard more than saw Dirk shift his head in the dark to look at him as the taller man asked softly, "What did I do?"

There was a hesitance in Dirk's voice that confused Todd, but most everything Dirk did confused him, so he ignored it as he clarified what he thought should be obvious, "For helping me through my attacks. I don't even want to think about what it would have been like to go through them alone." Todd started to fidget his fingers on his chest as he added, "And for being there after them."

Again, Todd more heard than saw Dirk as he nodded his head before finally letting out a soft, "You're welcome, Todd. That's what friends are for; we help each other when one of us is in need."

Todd let out a long breath as he felt himself start to relax before correcting Dirk, "That's what best friends are for." Although neither could see the other they both smiled broadly. Dirk, for his part, could have sworn he actually felt his heart skip a beat at the six simple words. Not long later the two of them were fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Dirk was the first one to wake up. Before he even attempted to open his eyes he was aware of the steady weight draped across his chest and the tickle of hair under his chin. Taking a deep breath while his mind was still muddled with sleep he appreciated the smell that surrounded him, the smell that could be nothing else but Todd. Without thinking he pulled the warm body closer as he buried his nose in the brunet's hair.

It was only when Todd started to shift in his arms and let out a small content sigh that Dirk realised what he was doing. That was how Dirk found himself sprawled on him back, spread eagle on the cold floor. After he realised what he might be giving away he had attempted to jump up from the bed, apparently forgetting the weight holding him down, making him flail rather inelegantly before toppling off with a loud thud as he hit ground.

Now Todd was poking his sleep mussed head over the side of the bed with a look of sleepy confusion and amusement. In a rough voice he asked the clumsy man, "You okay, Dirk?" He had one eye partially squinted as he cocked his head to the side and also asked, "Need help up?" Before Dirk could responded he was being pulled up by a hand until he was lying on the bed again. He could feel his blush burning from his back all the way to his hair line.

Taking in a deep breath he was finally able to squeak out, "Thanks, Todd." He could see in his peripherals that Todd had his head tuned to look at him but he kept his eyes glued to the log ceiling. He was focused on keeping his breathing as steady as possible.

Apparently though, Todd was having none of that as he flat out asked, "What's wrong, Dirk? Are you okay?" When he refused to answer, it obviously gave Todd the wrong idea, as he asked self-consciously, "Is it how we woke up?" Seemingly distressed quite a bit he further asked, "Did it bother you that we were touching? I swear I didn't mean to." Todd was getting increasingly panicked as he started to ramble, "I just have a habit of doing that in my sleep. I latch on to the closest thing in reach and hug it, I've always been like that. That was why when we were little Amanda used to crawl into my bed if she had a really mad nightmare because she found it comforting, but when we got older she'd refuse to share a bed with me because she said it was suffocating. Though after she got the disease, those first few weeks, she crawled into my bed most nights, though it terrified me I'd trigger an attack, but she said it did the opposite, that it held them off because it kept her calm. She's always said, right from the start, she finds her attacks happen more often than not when she's feeling really emotional, so feeling safe and comfortable helped her stave off the attacks."

Stopping only to take a deep breath Todd seemed ready to continue his spiral down so Dirk jumped in to assure him, "No, Todd, it's not that, well not that exactly. I've always rather loved that comfort myself, not that I have much opportunity to get it." Oh god, now he was doing it. "Also not that I've never had it, just not often, you know, with the life I lead." He was yelling at himself internally to just shut up as he continued, "I was actually really quite cozy when I woke up but I also have a tendency to do the same thing in my sleep and I was just rather worried that _you_ wouldn't appreciate it, so I was trying to extract myself before you woke up and I made you feel uncomfortable or made things awkward." He finally chanced a look at Todd as he found the words finally stopping but was not expecting the look of affectionate exasperation he saw there.

Smirking, Todd asked, "So you thought flinging yourself off the bed would be less awkward?" Dirk could see Todd fighting against a laugh as he looked back at him steadily.

His inflection making it more of a question than a statement, all Dirk could say was, "…yes?" This time Todd did laugh, a proper laugh Dirk had only heard a handful of times, as he put his hand over his eyes. Soon enough Dirk was laughing to, unable to stop himself in the face of Todd's infectious laughter.

The moment, however, was interrupted by a loud knock on the door as Amanda's mischievous voice came drifting through asking, "Are you two decent? Can I come in or will I be interrupting something?"

Unaffected by the question Todd simply yelled back, "Yes, Amanda, you can come in."

Before he had even finished answering the question Amanda was rushing in like a five year old before throwing herself in the bed between the two, though there wasn't much space so she ended up a little on both of them. She was smiling brightly as she asked, "So what was that commotion we heard a few minutes ago, huh?" As if her tone wasn't blatant enough with the insinuation she smirked and raised an eyebrow at each in turn.

While Dirk choked on air Todd used his best exasperated big brother voice before telling her, "Nothing happened, Amanda." A big goofy smile spread across his face as he added, "Dirk just thought it would be a fun and completely not awkward idea to flail off the bed first thing in the morning."

The two siblings were laughing hysterically as Dirk let out an indignant sound in protect. As Farah wandered into the room with Vogel on her heals he tried to defend himself, "It was _not_ my intention to fall out of the bed, simply to leave it, the flailing and the falling where just an unhappy result of being trapped under Todd's weight." As the words left his mouth he was horrified by what they implied but he couldn't un-ring that bell. Instead he tensed up to wait for the response and could swear he felt Todd do the same.

Though he was sure all three had something to say to that it was actually Vogel who spoke first, asking with a nod of his chin, "Why was he on top of you?"

Amanda, true to form, spoke before either Todd or he could, saying, "Careful, Vogel, do we really want details on what they were doing?"

As the other three snickered Todd finally found his voice as he said, a little unsure, "I hug in my sleep?" It came out as a question which only made them laugh harder. Todd sent Dirk a frustrated look in commiseration over his sister's head as she laughed up at the ceiling.

Finally, when the others had calmed down Amanda took pity on Dirk after seeing the look of confused hurt, confirming, "He does do that. He's like an octopus when he sleeps. If you're in arms reach you will be snuggled."

Raising his eyebrow, Todd said, "Well, I seem to remember plenty of times you took advantage of that over our lives."

Lifting her hands in surrender, she defended, "Hey, I wasn't knocking it, just confirming that you do in fact do it."

At that, a silence passed over the room. Unable to handle it Dirk spoke before thinking, blurting, "I'm a sleep snuggler as well I'm afraid." With that the room burst into laughter again, Todd included, leaving Dirk to pout, again making the room laugh harder.

This time when the laughter stopped everyone started moving, getting ready for the day. As Todd and Amanda made breakfast Farah worked with Dirk on setting up what they'd need to make a plan while Vogel disappeared outside for a little while. When he showed up again he was caring a chest full of random odds and ends. He impressed Farah when he pulled out mapped plans of a government building the other three Rowdy's had made from memory.

She only put the maps down when Amanda waved a plate of pancakes under her nose. They had a rather relaxing meal as they all came to the same mutual conclusion again that Todd in fact could cook quite well. After they were done, and the other three where finishing the dish's, Amanda made Todd take one of her pills, though he said he'd only take it if she took one too.

Before long, they were all huddled around the coffee table trying to make a plan of attack. It wasn't going all that smoothly though because Dirk and Vogel were big on dealing with things as they came, whereas Farah was all plan, plan, plan. She wanted contingency plans for contingency plans and Dirk thought they would only hurt their chances, saying it would only distract them from actual solutions to problems that might pop up. Meanwhile, the two siblings were caught in between.

The arguing only stopped when Vogel's stomach growled loudly and they decided to break for lunch. Farah cooked this time, insisting that Todd sit back and relax. She ended up making simple soup and sandwiches but they were well received.

After everyone was done eating Amanda, Farah and Vogel were feeling a little antsy so Todd and Dirk ushered them outside for a walk as they said they'd do the dishes. The two relished the peace and quiet before silently getting to work, shoulder to shoulder, Todd washing and Dirk drying and putting away. At first Dirk was to distracted by Todd's fingers brushing his every time he was passed something to notice, but about half way through he became aware of Todd becoming rather tense. When he looked over it was to see Todd rather lost in thought, and not very pleasant seeming thought either. His brows were furrowed and there was a slight frown on his face as he looked down into the dish water.

Dirk tried to catch his eye but when that failed he settled a hand on Todd's shoulder, intending to ask if he was okay, but before he could get a sound out Todd was flinching back rather violently as the plate he was holding slipped from his hand, smashing on the ground and making him flinch again. Once more, before Dirk could get a sound out, Todd was seizing up, hands going to his throat as he started to gasp, stumbling forward. Dirk was at his side before he could collapse onto the broken glass, instead lifting him in his arms and going to the couch. He knew the smaller man was having an attack but he had no idea what to do. This wasn't like the other two, this one could actually hurt him, it could kill him, he wasn't breathing. Panicking he wished he had his phone but the first thing Farah had done was throw them out the window after leaving the diner. That was when he remembered her mentioning buying some burners. Rushing to the drawer he thought he remembered her putting them into he was grateful to find a couple in there as well as a list of the numbers. The first one was still in the draw as well but the second was picked up after only one ring. He had never been so grateful to hear one of the Rowdy 3's voices.

Rushing back to Todd's side he all but yelled in a panic, "Todd is having am attack, I need to talk to Amanda immediately."

He let out a sigh of relief when Amanda came on asking in very serious voice, "What's happening, Dirk? What kind of attack is it?"

Dirk felt his panic rising again as he told her, "I don't know! He's not breathing, it's like he's choking on something but we were just doing dishes so it can't be that and..."

Interrupting him, Amanda told him, "He drowning, Dirk. You have to get him to breath or he could hemorrhage his lungs." Dirk felt tears in his eyes as he imagined what Todd was going through as Amanda took a second to think. He could hear the sound of them running on the other side before she asked, "Do you think you could get him to swallow a pill? I have some in my tin on the kitchen table, the blue and white ones; they help stop an attack after it starts."

He thought about it for a second but was pretty sure Todd wouldn't be able to take a pill if he couldn't even take a breath, so frantically he begged her, "Please, there must be something else, anything else I can do. Please Amanda, what do I do?" He didn't care that tears of panic and fear were falling down his face now as he waited for a response.

Amanda let out a loud breath before offering, "You can try to trick his brain. Make it think you are fixing whatever it thinks is happening to him."

Grabbing onto the thought Dirk tried to think of a way to trick a brain that was already tricking itself. Suddenly he had an idea, so throwing the phone to the side he sprinted into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. As he came to a skidding halt beside the couch he threw the water across Todd's face before bending down to pinch his nose and blowing two long breaths into his mouth before pulling back to do a few half strength compressions. When he noticed Todd's lips turning an alarming shade of blue he bent down again to blow two more breaths into his lungs. This time he was rewarded with Todd sputtering on air for a moment before gasping in lungfuls of air.

Dirk let out a relived sigh before realising that Todd was now hyperventilating. He at least knew how to handle that. He quickly rearranged Todd on the couch until he was behind him, the shorter man's back pressed against his chest, as he started to direct him in a calm, at least as calm as he could make it, soothing voice. "Todd, I need you to try and listen, okay? I want you to feel my chest as I breathe and to try and match it. When I breathe in, you breathe in, when I breathe out, you do to. Okay, can you do that for me?" When Todd nodded jerkily he let out a deep breath and encouraged Todd to do the same. "Okay, great, Todd, you're doing great. Now in… and out… and in… and out."

It didn't take too long to get the other man's breathing back to normal but the second it was Dirk found Todd tuning in his arms and burying his face in his neck and shoulder. At first when he felt him start to shake he was afraid it was another attack but when he felt a hot tear hit his neck Dirk realised that Todd was crying; not just crying, but sobbing. Feeling his own tears overwhelm him again he pulled the smaller man closer as he hid his face in his hair. He started whispering comforting nothings that even he wasn't paying attention to as he started to rock them slightly from side to side, hands rubbing up and down Todd's back.

That was the first thing the other three saw as they came crashing through the door moments later, the two clutching to each other desperately. Amanda and Farah found themselves frozen to the spot at the sight. Farah fighting back an urge to cry herself and Amanda didn't even bother to try. The only reason she hadn't started crying before was because she had known it would slow her down. Now that she saw her brother was okay she let them take her over as cried in the doorway, Farah putting a comforting arm around her shoulder before pulling her into a tight hug. Vogel, for his part, once again simply walked up to the two on the couch and held his hands over them. Amanda and Farah watched as the blue misty light seemed to keep coming until finally it petered out and Vogel backed up a few steps. It seemed to do the trick as Todd finally stopped sobbing as he went silent against Dirk's chest, falling asleep moments later.

As Amanda finally approached her brother Vogel reached out a hand as she passed taking the edge of her emotions off, to her relief, before she fell to her knees beside the couch. She cautiously reached out a hand as she soothed her brother's hair back before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. Quietly, she told him, "You had better never scare me like that again or I'll kick your ass, Todd."

Dirk was the one that responded, adding in a wobbly voice, "And I'll help her do it."

A few minutes later when it was clear Todd was down for the count Amanda finally asked Dirk, "How did you do it?"

She was still sitting sentry next to her brother so Dirk looked at the roof, not making eye contact as he answered sheepishly, "I might have thrown water on his face then given him CPR." He looked down when Amanda let out a hoot of laughter, ready to defend his actions, when he saw the look of amazed adoration on her face, a lot like the one Todd sometimes got while looking at him when he's done something particularly clever. Looking at her now the resemblance between siblings was uncanny.

Finally, Amanda said, "I can't believe you thought to do that, and that it worked. That's amazing." She was looking at him in wonder as she whispered under her breath what sounded suspiciously like, "It's like you were made for each other." Whether that was what she actually said or if it was just wishful thinking, he still felt a blush creeping up the back of his neck so he put his head back to look at the ceiling again.

In a small whisper, he said back, "Thank you, Amanda."

The three of them stayed like that for hours. Todd was out cold and Amanda was drifting in and out as she leaned against Dirk's shoulder. At some point he to fell asleep only waking up when he felt a hand on top of his head. It was Farah smiling down at him. Talking quietly he told him she and Vogel were going to start making something to eat for dinner. Nodding, Dirk settled more comfortably, wanting to soak up the feeling of Todd in his arms for as long as possible before he'd have to wake him up to eat. He also took comfort in the feel of Amanda breathing softly at his side. For the first time in a very, very long time he felt like he had a family again, and this one felt better then his real one ever had.

When it came time to eat Dirk was a little grateful that Todd and Amanda woke up on their own. He doubted he would have been able to bring himself to wake either of them. Dinner was a rather somber affair. The only thing Todd said was to thank Farah and Vogel for the meal and compliment it, and no one pushed him to say more. Amanda knew what it was like, after an attack like that, the ones that could actually do real damage, so she gave him space and the others seemed to take their ques from her. Vogel, for his part, was extremely aware of what he had been through, haven taken on those emotions. Farah could see that it had wiped Todd out, not to mention she noticed the little sympathetic looks Vogel kept sending him, so instead she chatted with Amanda and Vogel throughout dinner. Dirk himself was almost just as quiet as Todd. He only talked when spoken to directly and even then it was monosyllable responses. Again, they all understood. Dirk had been the one home alone with Todd, no idea what to do. Not to mention they were all perfectly aware of how he felt about Todd.

Before Todd could even think to try and help with dishes Amanda was pulling him from his chair and toward the couch. She pulled him down after her before snuggling into his side. There was no TV to watch so they simply sat there watching the fire in the wood stove as it danced around. Todd was more than happy to accept his sister's comfort and enjoy the moment. A short time later, after the dishes were done, the other three joined them. Dirk sat down on Todd's other side and when the other man shifted his weight so he was leaning into him he happily wrapped an arm around him, letting his hand rest on Amanda's back. Farah and Vogel got comfortable in the two armchairs by the couch, and they stayed like that for another few hours, no one really wanting to feel alone in that moment.

When they did get up to retire to bed it was with quick hugs exchanged before nightly routines were performed. Before long Todd and Dirk were collapsing into bed releasing twin sighs of relief. After they were both under the covers they didn't even bother to exchange words before Todd was curling up into Dirk's side, head pillowed on his chest. This time Todd didn't have to say the words out loud, as he wrapped an arm tighter around Dirk, the thank you implied in the hugging squeeze.

Dirk wanted to make sure Todd was in a peaceful sleep before letting his own guard over the man down, so he stayed up for a while watching before letting himself be pulled into sleep as well, though his was far from peaceful.


	4. Chapter 4

Todd was the first one to wake up this time. He knew something had woken him up but he couldn't figure out what it was at first. Then he heard it, a small pained whimper coming from Dirk. His face was contorted into fear and pain as his head jerked slightly from side to side. Wanting to save him from whatever nightmare he was stuck in, Todd tried to wake him up by calling his name but it only seemed to make it worse. That was why Todd reached out and softly cupped Dirk's cheek as he called for him to wake up from his nightmare.

It was with a sudden jerk that Dirk shot up gasping, "Todd."

Sitting up with him Todd started rubbing soothing circles on Dirk's back as he tried to reassure him, "It's okay, Dirk. Whatever it was, it was just a nightmare, it's okay. Everything's okay."

Gathering himself with a deep breath, Dirk started to nod. Rubbing a hand over his face he let the breath out in a shaky gust. Todd frowned as he tried to get Dirk to look at him, finally having to resort to a hand under his chin, pulling until they could just make each other out in the darkness. Todd reached over to turn on the bed side lamp before locking eyes with him again and asking, "What's wrong, Dirk? What did you have a nightmare about?"

It was a long moment until Dirk let out a great sigh before closing his eyes and answering, "I had a dream I couldn't help you. That you were drowning on dry land and no matter what I did I couldn't stop it." He let out another shaky breath before opening his eyes and saying, "I had a dream that you died, Todd. Right in front of me while I was helpless to do anything, and Amanda was on the phone screaming at me for not saving you, saying she'd never forgive me, and Farah was saying she would have been able to do something, and the stupid adorable kitten shark was looking at me with judgment in its eyes." A sob escaped him as he brought a hand to his mouth and whispered, "You died in my arms."

As the tears started to win out on Dirk's face, Todd pulled him into a tight hug. Rubbing his back he told Dirk in a soothing voice, "It was just a dream. I'm right here with you, alive and well. You did save me, Dirk." Pulling his head into his shoulder he started whispering soothing things into Dirk's ear as he laid them both back. He put him in the position he had been in himself as he tried to sooth the other man back into sleep. It didn't take long for him to succeed though he knew he wouldn't be falling back to sleep himself. Instead he enjoyed the feeling of Dirk in his arms as he played guard over the other man's sleep.

The next time Dirk woke up it was to the quiet voices of his two favorite people as they chatted quietly. Amanda noticed he was awake first as she looked down at him and asked, "And how did Mr. Sleepyhead sleep?"

Dirk felt more then saw Todd look down at him as he answered with an elegant grumble before burying his face further into Todd's chest, earning a chuckle from the other man that he could hear rumble under his ear. Amanda snorted as she said, "Really, that well, huh?"

Sighing, Dirk made himself sit up. Todd was leaning partially back against the head bored, not the most comfortable looking position, and Amanda was sitting beside them with her legs crossed. She had a muffin in her hand that her and Todd where nibbling on, taking small chunk's at a time. Amanda was looking at him with light in her eyes he didn't quite understand, but when he locked eyes with Todd the odd look she was giving him was pushed from his mind. Todd had a broad smile on his face as he looked at him, the same light shining in his eyes as well. The two siblings seemed to share a look before Todd was saying, "Hey, Amanda, why don't you go tell the others Dirk is awake so they can start making breakfast."

She only smiled brightly before she got to her feet and all but skipped from the room. When she was gone, closing the door behind her, Todd turned back to observe, "So, you sleep pretty heavy, huh?"

Dirk frowned slightly as he told him, "Not usually, no. I'm typically a pretty light sleeper actually."

Not missing a beat, Todd simply responded, saying, "Well, Amanda's been in here the last hour and a half, and we've been talking the whole time." Dirk only nodded in slight understanding, mostly still confused, though he was used to that, he was almost always confused at least a little bit. Acting like Dirk had actually contributed to the conversation, Todd went on. "We actually had a really good talk. Largely we talked about the disease but she also helped me clear up some other things that have been weighing pretty heavy on my mind lately." Again, Dirk wasn't clear on what he should say, so he said nothing, continuing to look at Todd with confusion.

Though, when it was clear Todd actually expected a response this time he grasped for the closest thought to say, finally asking, "What was weighing on your mind aside from the disease?"

He must have guessed right because Todd's smile grew impossibly bigger on his face before simply answering, "You."

Dirk felt his chest contract at all the possible implications that the one word had before fearfully gasping out, "What about me?"

Todd leaned closer toward him, leaving only a foot between them before saying, "Mainly this." Before Dirk could ask what 'this' was he was utterly shocked to find the space between them now gone as Todd gently pressed his lips against his own. It took Dirk a second to catch up with what was happening but when he did he returned the kiss in kind. He was the one to deepen the kiss as he pushed closer toward Todd, eliminating all the space between then. Todd had his hands in Dirk's hair as he licked the taller man's bottom lip asking for entry, which he was more than willing to give. As the kiss became impossibly deeper Dirk couldn't resist letting his hands run along the bare skin under Todd's shirt.

They would have probably kept at it all day if they weren't interrupted by a knock at the door. This time Amanda said with amusement clear in her voice, "I'm not even going to bother to ask if I'm interrupting. I just want to let you two know breakfast is ready and getting cold." She giggled as she threw in, "It's up to you how cold you want it to be when you eat it."

Not able to keep the smile from his voice, Todd yelled back, "Haha, Amanda, very funny. We'll be out in a minute."

He could barely hear Amanda's response of, "Oh ya, sure you will."

Turning his megawatt smile on Dirk, who had an identical smile on his own face, if not a little more goofy, he asked, "Breakfast?"

Letting out a dramatic sigh as he flopped back onto his pillow, Dirk sighed, "If we must."

Todd only laughed at his antics as he sprung out of the bed, looking at Dirk expectantly. Not wanting to disappoint, Dirk flung himself to his feet as well, only tripping once as he made his way to Todd's side. Both trying to dampen their smiles, they made their way out to the others.

Farah was the first to speak as she laughed and said, "It's about time." She raised an eyebrow as she added, "I mean, I had assumed the first time I saw you two together you were already a couple."

Vogel seemed confused as he asked, "They weren't a couple before?" That earned more laughter from the two women as he looked at Dirk, then Todd and asked, "No seriously, you two haven't been together this whole time? After your apartment, the energy we got from him, we had assumed you two were, you know, a thing." He made a vague hand gesture that really meant nothing, but the general meaning was clear enough.

Dirk was blushing brightly as he said, "What?! No, of course not, we had only met the day before that." As an afterthought he puffed out a few gusts of air in fake disbelief, before adding, "And I don't know what you are talking about. Feelings? What feelings? You're crazy! That would have been far too early to have feelings." There were four looks of amused, exasperated disbelief aimed at him by the time he stopped talking.

Amanda took slight pity on him as she hummed, "Mmm, hmm. Sure Dirk, whatever you say. Though he said energy, you're the one who brought up feelings." She let him stew for a few moments before adding with a soft smile, "But just so you know, I'm happy for you both. You truly do deserve each other."

He couldn't have stopped the smile that spread across his face even if he had wanted to at Amanda's words. He quickly closed the space between them as he pulled her into a tight, if slightly awkward, hug. She let out a gasp of air as she hugged him back.

After that he took his spot next to Todd at the table. They had a lovely breakfast, even if it centered largely on teasing Dirk and Todd. When the food was gone and the dished where dealt with they went back into serious mode as they started planning again, Farah moaning about how now Todd would be another vote on Dirk and Vogel's side, until he proved her wrong by siding with her, to a degree. In the end the two siblings convinced the others to meet half way and by the time dinner came back around they had a plan of action in place.

As Dirk took in the sight of all his knew friends he could feel that something had changed and it was for the better. Together, they could do anything. Together, they _would_ save the others.


End file.
